Signal apparatus for mines.



A. 1. GURNEY.

SXGNIAL APPARATUS POR MINES. APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 21, 1913.

1,089,763. Patented 11131.10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM cil-,WASHINGTON D. c.

y A.J.GURNEY. SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR MINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1913.

1,089,763. Patented Mar. 1o, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- 7 MHHIIIIII v I l @I fzafyze- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT J'. GURNEY, 0F HEREIN, ILLINOIS.

SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR MINES.

10 all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT J. Grunn-EY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Herrin, in the county of Villiamson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal Apparatus for Mines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a signal apparatus by which miners riding on the cages in mine shafts may communicate with the engineers who control the operation of the mine cages.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efhcient signal apparatus of the kind designated which is thoroughly reliable and the working parts of which will not become impaired by long continued usage.

Figure I is an elevation of my signal apparatus shown as it appears when in service at a mine. Fig. II is an enlarged elevation of the signal devices located at the top of a mine shaft, the flexible member leading downwardly into the mine shaft, a fragment of a mine cage and the parts carried by said cage for flexing said flexible member to operate the signaling devices at the top of the shaft. Fig. III is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. II viewed from a point at a right angle to the point from which the parts are viewed in Fig. II. Fig. IV is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line IV-IV Fig II, the wheels by which the flexible member extending into the mine shaft is flexed being shown in top plan view.

In the drawings: A designates the shaft of a mine in which is the usual shaft framework B. Above the shaft is the usual tower framework C including horizontal timbers 0 which support the drum D on which the usual cage rope E operates.

F is a mine cage supported by the cage rope, this cage including the usual lower deck G and the usual upper deck II. The cage rope E leads as usual to an engine I in an engine house J.

My signal apparatus includes a signal located in the engine house, and means for placing said signal in operation, the latter being located at the mine shaft and operable by a miner while on the mine cage.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 21, 1913.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

Serial No. 775,073.

The most essential features of my signal apparatus are a flexible operating member extending vertically in a mine shaft, and manually operable means carried by the mine cage for actuating said flexible member, irrespective of the peint at which the cage may be located when it is desired to give a signal to the engineer by whom the movements of the cage are controlled. The flexible member extending down into the shaft is, preferably, a rope l, this rope having its lower end secured to the framework at a point beneath the level to which the mine cage is intended to be lowered, the rope being shown in Fig. I as fastened at its lower end to one of the horizontal timbers of the shaft framework at 2. The upper end of the rope l is fastened to a signal member supported by the shaft framework or tower, as will be hereinafter fully exp-lained, the said signal member being operable by flexing the rope l intermediate of its ends, through means carried by the mine cage with the result of exerting a pull upon the upper end of the rope.

The rope flexing means comprises a pair of grooved wheels 3 and 2l, which are journaled to a carrying bar 5, fixed to a rock shaft 6 mounted in suitable hangers 7. The hangers 7 are supported by attachment to a suitable part of the mine cage, preferably the upper deck H, so as to locate the parts supported by these hangers in an overhead position in the cage. The shaft 6 has a lever arm 8 to which a pendent pull rod 9 is attached to permit of the rotation of the shaft 6 by a downward pull upon the lever arm 8. By this means the wheel carrying bar 5 is so movedthat one of the wheels supported by said bar is moved upwardly and the other wheel downwardly with the result of flexing or bending the rope l between the wheels. This action upon the rope l creates a pull upon the portion of the rope above the wheels, and causes it to exert a similar pull upon the signal operating member to which its upper end is connected. For the sake of clearness of description, the wheel 3, cooperable with the rope 1, will be herein designated as a. rear wheel, and the wheel 4 as a forward wheel. The arm of the carrying bar 5 to which the rear wheel 3 is journaled is of greater length than the arm to which the forward wheel 4 is journaled; and it will, therefore, be seen that there is a preponderance of weight back of the axis of ,lio

the wheel carrying bar. In consequence of this there is a tendency for the rear wheel il to fall away from the rope 1 and lift the forward wheel f1 away from said rope, so that the two whe/eis are normally out of contact with the rope, during movement of the mine cage, the flanges of said wheels merely straddling the rope, as seen in F 1I and 1V, without the wheels contacting therewith to operate or disturb the rope. Any suitable means lmay be utilized to limit the movement of the wheel carrying bar 5 so that the wheels remain normally in the positions referred te, the means I have shown in the drawings for this purpose being a step supported by one of the roel; shaft supporting `brackets 7, the stop being so positioned above the lever arm S as to limit the upward movement of said lever arm when the parts operable thereby are returning to nor nal position after they have been operated to flex the signal operating` rope. l

In my signal appara-tus, as herein shown, the signal member to which the rope l is secured at its upper end is in the form of a bar 11, pivoted at 12 to a suitable support 13 attached to one of the horizontal timbers c of the tower framework. The signal operating rope 1 is connected to one arm of said bary 11, and the other end of vsaid bar is held under restraint, by a spring 111-, which serves to yieldingly hold the arm of the bar to which the signal rope is att-ached in elevated position and lreep the rope taut. The rear arm of the bar 11 carries a contact finger 15, which is movable to and from a contact point 16, supported by a post 17 located adjacent to the rear arm of the bar 11. The contact finger and the contact point 1G have connected to them, respectively, the terminals of wires 1S and 19, which lead to an electric hell situated in the engine house J. The rear arm of the bar 11 operates within a guide 20 which prevents lateral movement of said arm, so that the contact linger 15 will always be properly presented to the contact point 16.

The signal rope 1 preferably has incorporated therein or located at one of its ends a turn buckle 21, which may be utilized as a take-up when needed, either in the initial adjustment of parts, or after stretch of the rope due to usage.

I claim 1. The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member arranged in said shaft in the path of movement of said cage and secured at one end to the shaft, a signal device secured to the other end of said flexible signal member, and manually operable means carried by said cage by which said flexible signal g member may be flexed to cause it to operate said signal device.

2. The combin ation with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal. member arranged in said shaft in the path of movement of said cage and secured at one end to the shaft, a signal device secured to the other end of said flexible signal member, and rockable 1n ans carried by said cage by which said flexible signal member may be flexed to cause it to operate said signal device.

The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member arranged in said shaft in the path of movement of said cage and secured at one end to the shaft a signal device secured to the other end of said flexible signal member, and a pair of rockable members carried by said cage between which said flexible signal member may be flexed to cause it to operate said signal device.

4. The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member arranged in said shaft in the path of movement of said cage and secured at one end to the shaft, a signal device secured to the other end of said flexible signal member, and a pair of rockablc wheels carried by said cage between which said flexible signal member may be flexed to cause it to operate said signal device.

5. The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member arranged in said shaft in the path of movement of said cage and secured at one end to the shaft, a signal device secured to the other end of said flexible signal member, a roclr shaft carried by said cage, a carrying bar attached to said rock shaft, a pair of members carried by said carrying bar, and means for operating said rock shaft to move the members carried by said carrying bar to cause the said flexible signal member to be flexed thereby for the operation of said signal device.

6. The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member arranged in said shaft in the path of movement of said cage and secured at one end to the shaft, a signal device secured to the other end of said flexible signal member, a roclr shaft carried by said cage, a. carrying bar attached to said rock shaft, a pair of wheels carried by said carrying bar, and means for operating said rock shaft to move the wheels carried by said carrying bar to cause the said flexible signal member to be flexed thereby for the operation of said signal device.

7. The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member in said shaft arranged in the path of movement of said cage and secured at its lower end to said shaft, a spring controlled signal device to which the upper end 1 of said flexible signal member is secured and manually operable means carried by said cage by which said flexible signal member may be flexed to cause it to operate said signal device.

S. The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member in said Shaft arranged in the path of movement of said cage and Secured in the shaft at one end, a signal, a pivoted spring bar, connected with the other end of the flexible signal member at one end and provided with a contact finger at the other end, a fixed contact With which the Contact finger is adapted to engage, Wires connected at one end with the signal and at the other end with the contact finger and fixed contact respectively, and means Within the cage for flexing the flexible signal member.

9. The combination with a mine shaft and a cage operable therein, of a flexible signal member in said shaft arranged in the path of movement of said cage and secured in the shaft at one end, a signal, a pivoted spring bar, connected with the other end of the flexible Signal member at one end, and pro vided with a contact finger at the other end, a fixed contact with which the contact finger is adapted to engage, Wires connected at one end with the signal and at the other end with the contact finger and fixed contact respectively, and means Within the cage for flexing the flexible signal member, consisting of a pivoted carrying bar having long,` and short arms and a lever arm pr0- vided With a pull rod and Wheels mounted on the long and short arms at opposite sides of the flexible signal member.

A. J. GURNEY.

In the presence of* E. CLARK, E. B. LINN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

